Lost and Found
by SongofJoy
Summary: based on the production stills for Cops and Robbers - What brings Kate to Castle's loft after the bank robbery?
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N: So I must be absolutely crazy to start another fic. "Enough for Now" was supposed to BE enough for now - my one and done, so to speak. But CastleChick requested a story based on the stills released for Cops and Robbers ... and I couldn't get this out of my head. Lol. Anyway, this one should be short - two or three chapters. Enjoy!_**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own the TV show or the characters, but somedays I wish I did! _**

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><p>It had started out as any normal day.<p>

But it had gone downhill very quickly.

In the stillness of her apartment, dark except for the city lights that invaded through the unshuttered windows, Kate Beckett swirled her beer around in the bottle. Not really drinking. Not really even heeding the condensation that was dripping onto her knee. Scenes from the day's events swam through her mind like a slideshow.

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><p>"<em>Beckett."<em>

"_Hey, KB. It's me. Castle." _

_She grinned in spite of herself. "I know. You're the only one who calls me KB."_

"_Does that mean no one's ever tried or just that I'm the only one you let get away with it?"_

_The grin widened. "What do you want, Castle?"_

"_I'm going to be a little late this morning," his warm voice drifted lazily through the earpiece of her phone. "Mother wanted to get some money out of her Christmas club account, and I'm here to charm the teller into letting her." _

_She could tell he had entered the bank by the shift in background noise – from honking horns and angry drivers to quiet chatter. _

"_Tell Martha hello from me," she told him, but he didn't hear her. He was busy arguing with his mother about something ridiculous, and she bit back her laugh at the sheer insanity of the conversation she was privy to._

"_Castle!" When her summons got no response, Kate raised her voice and repeated his name, hoping it would carry enough to regain his attention. "Castle, I've got to go."_

"_Kate." His voice was hushed, something which in hindsight she would realize should have alerted her. _

"_Castle, we can talk when you get in," she tried to end the call, but the increased urgency in his whisper halted her. _

"_Kate. The bank is being robbed."_

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><p>She hadn't panicked then. (Ryan and Esposito would challenge this assertion, if asked.) She hadn't panicked when they'd reached the bank and discovered that everyone inside had been taken hostage. (Again, Ryan and Esposito would have offered their two cents to the contrary, but no one sought their opinions.) She'd managed to keep the blooming twinge of panic at bay even when a uniform had called her over to calm Alexis.<p>

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><p>"<em>Kate! Is my dad okay? What about Grams?" The redhead's voice could not be mistaken for steady, tears drowning in the fearful eyes that stared back at the detective.<em>

"_I'm sure they're fine," Kate offered, gently gripping the young woman's arms and dipping her head to meet her eyes. "Your dad knows not to do anything stupid."_

"_Does he?" Alexis retorted. "Because ever since he met you, he's been doing one stupid thing after another." _

_Kate let her hands drop, straightening as though Alexis had physically slapped her. _

"_Alexis –"_

_Castle's daughter waved a hand in the air, half dismissal, half apology. "I'm sorry, Kate." She'd vaulted against the detective then, throwing her arms around her neck and hanging on for dear life. _

_Kate closed her eyes and returned the embrace for a moment before wrapping her arm around the girl's shoulders and guiding her to an officer who stood nearby. Giving him instructions to watch out for the young woman, she promised Alexis that she would let her know as soon as she had any information to pass along._

_Heading back toward the makeshift 'command central', Kate fought against the urge to hyperventilate. She knew what it was like to lose a parent, and she prayed with every non-cynical fiber left in her body that Alexis would never be able to identify with her in that way. It struck her that, if the worse **did** happen, at least Rick knew that Alexis loved him – and vice versa._

_But when it came to Kate – the knowledge was one-sided. She knew he loved her. Would he die without knowing she loved him back?_

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><p>She had fought a losing battle with the panic from that point on. The minutes crept into hours, and she'd wanted to jerk a knot into the hostage negotiator more than once. Either that or pop a cap into him and take over the job herself.<p>

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><p><em>Kate didn't realize she was holding her breath until Javier gave her arm a gentle squeeze. "He's okay, Kate."<em>

_And he was. Or at least he seemed to be. He was walking out the door, one arm around his mother, the other at the back of the SWAT officer escorting him out of harm's way. A cursory survey with her eyes showed no signs of visible blood, no apparent injuries, and not even a hair out of place. Well, okay, maybe his hair was a bit more tousled than usual but in an endearing way that made her heart clench in her chest. _

_She could hear Alexis struggling with the officer who was holding her back, and Kate gestured to let her go. A blur of red shot past her, and Kate swallowed against the lump that clogged her throat as Rick and Martha opened their arms and hugged Alexis tightly. Seeing that his attention was rightfully captivated by his daughter, Kate backed away and headed inside the bank to see what she could do to help process the bank robbers_

_Duty called, after all. The heart could wait._

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><p>And then, somewhere in the hectic bustle that always followed a hostage scene, Kate had ended up logging in a very long day. When the last interview had been conducted, the last statement taken, and the last report filed, Rick was no longer at the station. She assumed he'd gone home hours ago, his and Martha's statements being some of the first they'd taken down. She'd debated going over there, but she knew he'd be exhausted. It was late, and she hadn't wanted to take away from their family time either.<p>

"Face it, Kate," she muttered to herself, finally taking a swig from her bottle. Making a face at the taste, she set the beer on the coffee table and groaned. "You chickened out."

Realizing she hadn't even talked to him since his call that morning, she grabbed her cell phone and tapped out a quick message.

_**Crazy day, huh?**_

Within seconds, her phone alerted her to his reply.

_**Insane. Was just thinking about you. Are you home yet?**_

She smiled, touched that his mind was on her after everything he'd experienced today.

_**Barely. Haven't moved off the couch.**_

Her phone rang almost before she could send her response, and a thrill shivered down her spine when she saw who was calling.

"Hey," she answered, unable to keep the soft fondness from her voice.

Of all the things she'd expected him to say, she wasn't anticipating the sexy graveled tone or the words he uttered in it. "Come over."


	2. Chapter 2

Rick answered the door nearly as soon as she knocked on it, making Kate wonder if he'd been hovering in that general vicinity ever since she'd agreed to stop by his loft. His hair was still tousled – Kate figured he probably didn't even realize it. Being in a life or death situation had a habit of making things like your hair seem pretty trivial. A strong, unexplainable urge came over her – to run her fingers through his locks under the pretense of tamping them back into a normal state – and she briefly pondered what his reaction would be if she gave in to the itch.

He didn't leave her much time for musing, however.

"Hi," he greeted exuberantly, a light in his eyes that she tried to ignore but couldn't.

Leaning close, he brushed his lips against her cheek, sending a shiver through her frame and leaving goose bumps in his wake. She stiffened and her knees began to mutate into putty when he lingered, his nose in her hair, his muscular torso radiating strength and warmth just in front of her.

"If you're trying to figure out where the aroma of stale donuts and poor ventilation is coming from, it's me. I smell like the station," she protested, laughing off the gentle caress for her own self-preservation.

She expected him to give her the escape – after all, that was their pattern – but he didn't.

"You smell like you," he countered, his voice hoarse, his words thick with … desire? Fondness? Love? Kate was afraid to analyze it, afraid of how her own voice would soon sound if she didn't put some distance between them.

"Are you saying I smell like stale donuts and poor ventilation?" Ducking away from him, she headed for the living area, her eyes scanning her surroundings for Alexis or Martha. No one was in sight.

"No," he followed her, giving her the space she seemed to need but not a millimeter more. "You smell like cherries with a hint of vanilla mixed with some sort of flower. I haven't figured out what it is yet." He fixed his gaze steadily on hers and added with a voice so low it was almost a growl, "I like it."

Blushing, Kate turned to stare out the window and willed her breathing to regulate itself by the time he got any closer. "Got a little bored today in the bank, did we?" she teased, hoping her voice sounded light, but pretty sure she hadn't managed to erase the husky undertone she felt. "Had a lot of time to sit and try to figure out what I smell like?"

"No," he denied again. "I've been working on that for a while now." He came up behind her, and it took all her willpower not to lean into his solid chest. She crossed her arms in an attempt to keep her body rooted in place and visibly shivered when his hand came to rest lightly on her shoulder.

"Want some wine?" Rick asked. Kate nodded, and as he headed for the kitchen she felt the cooler air invade in his absence.

He was back before long, handing her a wine glass and gifting her with a rakish smile when she turned to accept it from him. "To happy endings," he toasted, raising his glass to clink against hers.

Kate couldn't prevent the smile that stole across her face – didn't want to, for that matter. "Spoken like a true writer."

Rick chuckled then caught her eyes and held them, taking a sip of wine before nodding in the direction of the furniture. "Wanna sit?"

"Sure." She walked behind him, trying not to think about how good that blue looked on him, and folded her legs beneath her as she joined him on the sofa.

"Your mom and Alexis doing okay with everything?"

"Yeah. They're both in bed already." He stared into his wine glass for a moment before glancing up to meet her eyes with a weary shrug and a smile. "Crazy day, as you said."

"How are _you_ doing? I'm sorry I didn't get to talk to you after –"

Raising a hand in dismissal, he scooted imperceptibly closer and seemed to hesitate before answering. "Don't worry about it. You had a lot on your plate."

"Yeah, but, you're important to me," she protested, faltering at the way his eyes darkened with her words. "I know this sounds silly, but I at least wanted to give you a hug. There wasn't even time for that, and I'm sorry."

"It's not silly." His voice was doing that sexy, hoarse, gravelly growl again, and Kate felt almost breathless at the reaction it caused deep in her gut. "It's not too late, you know," he added, a grin quirking at the corners of his mouth. "You can still give me a hug. There seems to be time now."

Setting his wine glass on the table, he waited, one eyebrow arching expectantly. She returned his grin, albeit a bit more shyly, and placed her glass next to his. He stood, holding out his hand, and she followed suit, but Rick didn't initiate any further contact. Kate knew he was waiting for her, letting her set the pace.

Stretching at the waist, she wrapped her arms around his neck and stifled a shaky gasp when his arms settled at her hips. A hum of contentment purred from one of them – she wasn't sure if it was her or him, maybe both even. She buried her face in his neck and felt a tremble of awareness travel through Rick's frame as her body shifted to be flush against his. His hands flexed at her hips, then migrated north to cross at her shoulder blades.

"I'm really glad you're okay, Castle."

Her murmured sentiment beckoned his hands to move until they became lost in her hair, and she muffled her sigh of satisfaction into his shoulder. Tugging gently, he coaxed her face into the open and caressed the outlines of her features with his tender gaze. Kate couldn't have breathed if she'd wanted to – the look in his eyes seemed to have stolen even that innate ability from her.

"You know what I thought about while I was being held hostage?" When she shook her head ever so slightly, unwilling to tear her eyes from his face, he smiled and went on, "Well, first I figured out how to get us all out of there and subdue the robbers. And then I thought about how worried Alexis must be. And then, of course, I thought about how this was going to make my book sales shoot through the roof."

Kate laughed with him, the soft melodies floating between them like a pleasant perfume.

"But before that," he continued quietly. "The first thing I thought of when I realized we were hostages … was you, Kate. And then, I thought of you again every minute, in between all the other thinking I was doing. I wondered if you were out there, if Alexis was with you, if you were going to clobber the nitwit negotiator anytime soon."

More quiet laughter rippled through the room before Kate finally surrendered to her craving and reached up to drag her fingers through his hair. Rather than tame it, she merely succeeded in ruffling it further, but she didn't care. And from the spark of need flaring in Rick's eyes, he didn't care either.

His tone sobered, and his fingers played loosely with the curls that tumbled over his hands. "I wondered a couple of times if I was ever going to see you again. If I'd ever get to tell you that I –"

Kate cut him off by pressing two fingers against his lips. "I remember, Rick. I do remember."

She had stunned him, she could tell. But relief blended with the shock on his face as he stuttered a question, "Wh – what do you remember?"

"Everything," she breathed. "Your weight over me. The fear in your eyes. The way you cradled my head and whispered for me to stay with you. The last thing I remember before everything went black is you…saying you love me."

"Why did you lie?"

His wounded expression broke her heart, and she bit her lip against a sob. "Because it scared me to death, Rick. Because I've never felt this deeply for anyone before – not even Royce, when I really think about it. And, you saying it, gave it weight, made it something I couldn't avoid anymore. But then I could because I could act like I didn't hear you, and we could go back to normal again."

Her tear-filled gaze pleaded with him to understand her ramblings, begged him for forgiveness. "Only we didn't go back to normal. And I –"

He didn't let her finish. Swooping in, he caught her up with him in a kiss that left all other kisses from her past in the dust. Disintegrated. Their fingers tangled in each other in passing as the floodgates of pent-up passion were opened under fleeting, frantic caresses. Rick's teeth nipped lightly at Kate's lips, his palms cupping her bottom and fitting her more intimately against him.

She moaned as desire surged through her body, practically climbing into him with need. "I – love – you," she managed to whisper between kisses that demanded everything from her and gave her everything in return.

"I love you, too." He ground the words from between clenched teeth, her wandering hands pushing him to the brink of control. She nudged him forward until he fell to a seat on the couch, her legs straddling him before he could catch his breath, a ragged groan wrenching itself from his throat.

She felt so good in his arms.

He felt so good in hers.

Kate let her weight rest fully over him, giving her a heightened awareness of where the evening would soon progress unless someone had the wherewithal to slow things down. And, God help them, she didn't think that someone was going to be her.

Rick forced himself to temper the kiss, to turn the frenzied jumble of teeth and tongues and lips and hands into soothing caresses meant to calm their pounding hearts and raging hormones. He stroked along her hips, around her waist to her abdomen, returning to rest at the small of her back as he eased his mouth reluctantly away from the siren on his lap.

"Kate." His breath came in pants, and he rested his forehead against hers as he tried to recover from her passionate assault. "Holy bank robbers, Kate, you are amazing."

It started as a giggle. The giggle deepened into a chuckle. The chuckle slid into an outright laugh, and before he knew it, he was joining her in her amusement. He held her close, delighting in the way she snuggled against him, and pressed a light kiss to her ear.

"Don't laugh," he heard her say after a few seconds.

"I make no promises," he parried with another gentle caress of her temple.

"I was in Glee club in college. Before… before Mom died."

His arms tightened around her, and he buried his face in her hair.

"We sang this song. The end of the first verse says, 'I once was lost but now I'm found. Was blind but now I see.' I kinda feel like that right now," she told him, and he felt like his heart might burst at her raw honesty.

"Well, just so you know, I have no intention of letting you get lost again," he whispered against her temple. "I take the whole 'finders' keepers' concept very seriously."

"Are you holding me hostage, Castle?"

"That depends. Can I get arrested for that – you being a New York City cop and all?"

"Well… the handcuffs might have to make an appearance."

In a flash Kate was on her back against the couch cushions, Rick hovering above her with a predatory gleam in his eyes. "Promise?"

For a long while, no more words were said, except the occasional whispered name or desperate moan. Afterward, as they lay together in breathless contentment, Rick's voice was the first to pierce the silence.

"Holy bank robbers, indeed, Kate."

_Fin._


End file.
